The Irish standard., 1887-03-12
THE SIEGE OF PARIS.
Two Extrects from the Diary of Ex-Min-
lister Elihu b. Washburne.


lister Elihu b. Washburne.
'.PAR1s, Sunday afternoon, Nov. 20,
1870.-Sixty-third day of the Siege
One of the features of the
siege is the thousand rumors
and reports that are constantly
flying about The most absurd and
ridiculous canards are circulated every
hour in the day. These French people
are in position to believe any thing,
even that the moon is made of green
cheese. Some of the editors are the
most deliberate and inventive liars of
modern times. One of the papers said
the other day it had received a number
of the London Standard of November
II, and went on to give various ex-
tracts and news taken from it. Every
body wondered how so late paper
could get into Paris, and when the mat
ter was Investigated it was shown that
no such paper had ever been received,
and that the whole thing was DELHI
crate and wilful fabrication. The
news that has come by pigeon tele-
graph in regard to the French success
at Orleans has had great effect. Small
favors thankfully received and larger
ones in proportion.
'.For three days it has been war,
war; but now, when these long dreary
days are running out, nothing is accom-
plished except every few days a letter
or a high sounding proclamation OF
Trochu. 1t has been dead calm since
the 31st of October, not excitement
enough to stir the blood of a cat.
These people, gay, light, frivolous as
they are, would endure wonders could
you convince them that anything was
to be gained. They are getting down
to what we called in Gelena lead-mines
hard PAM Fresh meat can not last
much longer, including horse and
mule. The vegetables really seem to
be holding out very we'll, but the prices
are so high that the poor can buy but
very little. Butter is selling for 81
pound; turkeys, SIG apiece; chickens,
Sc apiece; rabbits, 81 each; eggs, $3.50
dozen, and so on. The price of
bread, however, fixed by the city, is
about as usual. Wine is also very
cheap. Bread and wine will soon be
about all the poorer classes will have
to eat and drink. What misery! what
suffering! what desolation!''
CHRISTMAS, PARIS, Sunday, Dec
rs, 1870, 9Sth day of the Siege.-Never
has sadder Christmas dawned on any
city. Cold, hunger, agony, grief and
despair sit enthroned at every habita-
ton in Paris. 1t is the coolest day of
the season and the fuel is very short;
and the government has had to take
hold of the fuel question, and the
magnificent shadetrees that have for
ages adorned the avenues of this city
are all likely to go in the vain struggle
to save France. So says the Official
Journal of this morning. The suffer-
ings of the past week exceed by far
any thing we have seen. There is
scarcely any meat but horse-meat, and
the government is now rationing. Il
carries out its work with impartiality.
The omnibus-horse, the cab-horse, the
work-horse and the fancy-horse, all go
alike in the mournful procession to the
butchery shops-the magnificent blood
ed steed of the Rothschilds by the side
of the old plug of the cabman. Fresh
beef, mutton, pork are out of the ques-
ton. A little poultry yet remains at
fabulous prices. In walking through
the Rue St. Lazare I saw middling.
sized goose and chicken for sale in a
shop-window, and I had the curiosity
to step in and inquire the price Crash
man that I was). The price of the
goose was 425, and the chicken ST.
,